Engine-starter.



R. NELSON.

ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26, 1913.

1 1 08,609 Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. NELSON.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26. 1913.

1,108,609. Patented Aug. 25, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 sirArrEs PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT NELSON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914..

Application filed Ilecember 26, 1913. Serial No. 808,696.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RoBER'r NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State .battery is used, because the armature must be rotated at a certain speed to generate the required current. The intensity of a magneto current increases with the speed, hence when turning the engine over slowly as in starting a sufficiently strong spark to ignite the charge is seldom produced without spinning the engine.

The object of this invention is to provide means for accelerating the speed of the armature 'at the sparking points during the revolution of same to generate'the required current'at this point. The object is acquired by temporarily retarding or holdingthe interrupter and armature of a high tension magneto and releasing the same at the proper time under accelerated speed to give an are equivalent to the are as made when the magneto is running normally at high shafts and also the attachment of speed. The desired result is accomplished without having to run the engine shaft itself at high speed to get the spark. At'the same time there is no chance for back fire.

The invention comprises essentially a driven shaft so coupled to the magneto shaft that the two have a loose independent related movement sufiicient to. allow the armature of the magneto to remain still or lag behind during. a fraction of a revolution of the driven shaft; the armature shaft being suddenly released to catch up with the driven shaft, with means for making a spark during the interval of difierential movement between the two shafts.

The invention consists of the parts ,and

the combination and construction of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimthe-accelerating device. Fig. 2 is a diagram- 'across the front face.

matic view showing the position of the releasing lugs with relation to the crank shaft. Fig 3 is an enlarged plan view'of the 'accelerating attachment. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective View of same.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates an ordinary magneto of the high tension type adapted to be driven at the usual speed of one to two of the engine shaft, said speed being transmitted through the engine shaft pinion 2 to gear 3 on the magneto driveshaft 4. Keyed on the end of the magneto armature shaft is a collar 5 having-a slot formed therein, as indicated at 6, and similarly secured onthe end of the drive-shaft l is a collar? having a slot 8 cut therein' Intel-posed between. the collars 5 and 7 is a sleeve 9, having lugs 10 and 11 formed on its ends. Lug 10 projects into the notch 6 while lug 11 pro ects into the slot 8. The sleeve 9 is provided for the purpose of forming a driving connection between the collars 5 and 7 respectively, to

form a housing for a coil spring 12 and also to support a radially disposed releasing lug 13. The slot 6, formed in the collar 5, is of such a length that the lug 10, with connected.

sleeve 9, collar 7 and shaft 4, may travel approximately one-eighth of a revolution, while collar 5, with the connected armature, is held stationary. One end of the coil spring 12 is bent outwardly, as at 14, to engage with a shoulder 15 in the slot 6 and the opposite end of the spring'is similarly bent, as at 16, to project into the slot 8 on the opposite side of the shoulder 15. The coil spring is inserted under considerable tension and will thus exert a pressure upon the collar the direction of arrow 1) and on collar 7 in the direction of arrow 0. The pressure exerted in this manner will normally tend to hold the lug 10 in engagement with a shoulder 15 of the slot 6 and the tension of the spring is sufficient to permit the whole flexible coupling thus formed, with connected armature shaft, and drive-shaft 4 to be revolved in the direction of arrow a without moving the lug 10 out of engagement with its retained shoulder 15*. .1

Means are provided for the purpose of temporarily holding the collar 5, with connected armature shaft, againstrevolving until the lug 10 travels across the slot into engagement with the shoulder 15. This takes place, however, only at timed intervals and at the will of the operator. This part of the mechanism is constructed, as follows: 17 indicates a plate suitably secured to the magneto supporting bracket or plate 18,. Projecting from one end of theplate 17 is a pair of upwardly extending lugs 19, and pivotally mounted between said lugs members is a spring-actuated lever 20, having a catch 21 formed on its upper end of one side and a releasing cam 22 on its other side. The catch member is so positioned asto become engageable with a radially disposed lug 23 formed or otherwise secured on the collar 5, while the releasing cam is positioned in the path of the lug 13 on the sleeve 9. The lever 20 may be held in the elevated position indicated in Fig. 2 where the catch and releasing cam become engageable with their respective lugs, or may be retained in the lower position, indicated by dotted line in Fig. 2. The lever 20 is retained in either position by a spring 24 positioned as shown.

The diagrammatic view indicated in Fig. 2 shows the crank-shaft of an internal combustion engine, the one to two gear drive which connects the ma gneto drive-shaft with the crank-shaft of the engine, and also shows the position of the lugs 13 and 23 with respect to the catch and releasing cam. formedon the lever 20.

In operation, when it is desired to start the engine, it is first necessary to swing the arm 20 into the elevated positionindicated in Fig. 2. The crank-shaft of the engine is then turned over in the usual manner through the medium of the starting crank or fly-wheel, not here shown, and movement is thus transmitted through the gears 2 and 3 to revolve the magneto drive-shaft. The lug 23 will consequently move into engagementwith the catch 21 thus bringing the lug 23, collar 5 and connected armature to. a temporary stop. ,The coil spring interposed between the collars 5 and 7 will, however, permit shaft 4, collar 7 and sleeve 9 to continue their rotation, thus causing the lug 10 to travel across the slot 6 into engagement with the opposite shoulder 15. Lug 13 secured or otherwise formed upon the sleeve 9 will at this point come into engagement with the releasing cam 22 and will'move this outwardly a sutlicient distance to bring the catch 21 out of engagement with the lug 23 on the collar 5. The lug 13 is so positioned, with relation to the crank of the engine shaft, that the release of lug 23 can bnly take place when the crank has reached the highest point or a moment after it has turned over center. The movement of the sleeve 9 and collar 7-, with relation to the temporarily held, stationary collar 5, causes the coil spring 12 to be wound in a direction where the tension of s'ameis increased, and it will thus transmit its pressure to collar 5, with connected armature shaft, the moment 6 the lug 23 becomes released, and the accelence and thus be seen that the engine-shaft may be turned as slowly as desired without interfering with the operation of the accelerating attachment for the simple reason that the speed transmitted to the armature from the accelerating mechanism depends upon the tension of the coil spring 12. The moment the engine is turned over a sufiicient number of revolutions where the speed is suflicient to operate the magneto without the accelerating attachment, it is only necessary to swing the lever 20 back into the depressed positlon. The flexible coupling or accelerating mechanism will then revolve as a unit with the drive-shaft 4t and transmits tb' speed in the usual manner.

The accelerator constructed as here shown is particularly adapted for application to marine engines, stationary pumping plants,

and thelikc, which are not equipped with self-starters. The simplicity of construction permits its attachment and application to any standard form and make of magneto, and the driving connection provided through the collar 7, slot 8 and lug l1 permits'the connection-to be quickly broken or connected without disturbing the sleeve 9, with the connected coil spring and other parts. i

The materials and finish of the several parts of the accelerator are such as experi judgment of the manufacturer may dictate.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with the armature shaft on a magneto, of a drive shaft, a coil spring connecting the two shafts, a collar on the armature shaft, a lug projecting from said collar, a collar on the drive shaft, a sleeve surrounding the coil spring lugs on the ends of said sleeve, the faces of the respective collars having slots into which said lugs project, a radially disposed releasing lugon the outer surface of the sleeve, a catch member engageable with the lug on the armature shaft collar, '2. releasing cam engageable with the releasing lug on the sleeve, and means for moving the catch and cam out of and into engagement with the last-named lugs. v V 2. in an engine starter, in combination with the armature shaft of a magneto and l l l ing the shaft and being surrounded by the sleeve and having its ends connected to the respective collars, a releasing lug extending,

outwardly from the sleeve periphery, a lug extending outwardly from the periphery of one of the collars, and a spring actuated member having a cam to engage the releasing lug and a catch to engage the peripheral lug of the collar, said cam and catch being located in side by side relation and being relatively spaced in a direction longitudinally of the shafts.

3. An accelerator for ignition dynamos comprising in combination with the dynamo and its shaft, a driving shaft for the dynamo shaft, a collar carried by the driving shaft and provided with "a plurality of notches, a collar on the dynamo shaft proided with an elongated slot, said collars being spaced one from the other, a hollow coupling member, lugs on the ends of the coupling member projecting into the slots of the collars, a spring within the hollow coupling member having one end projectinginto one of the notches of the drive shaft collar, and having its opposite end projecting into the elongated slot of the armature shaft collar, a peripheral lug on the armature shaft collar, means for engaging the last mentioned lug to prevent" said sleeve from turning until the lug on the coupling member has traversed the elongated slot, 40

and means for releasing the locking means when the lug on the coupling member has completed its traverse of the elongated slot.

4. An accelerator for ignition dynamos comprising in combination with the dyna- 46 mo and. its shaft, a" driving shaft, a collar carried thereby, a collar carried by the dynamo shaft, acoupling rigidly connected to the collar on the driving shaft,'and yield d ingly connected to the collar on the dynamo 50 shaft, an exterior lug on the last mentioned collar, an exterior lug on the coupling memher, a pivoted spring plate, a lug on eachside of the spring plate, one of said lugs adapted to engage the exterior lug of the collar on the dynamo shaft to prevent the same fromturning, and the other lug being adapted to successively engage the exterior lug on the coupling member to rockthe spring plate on its pivot and release the collar on the dynamo shaft to permit same to rotate under the influence of the yielding connection. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses;

ROBERT NELSON. Witnesses:

L. H. CASE, Jnssm C. CASE. 

